Overview

• The U.S. Center for SafeSport determined that Qi Han committed emotional and physical misconduct and violated USA Gymnastics policies after reviewing over 80 witness statements and thousands of pages of documents.
• Athletes at Everest Gymnastics in North Carolina first raised concerns in 2016, with Olympic alternate Ashton Locklear’s 2018 account of abuse, including having a cell phone thrown at her, prompting further allegations.
• Han, a former member of China’s national gymnastics team who co-founded Everest Gymnastics in 2004, had been under a temporary sanction since 2023 before receiving the permanent ineligibility ruling.
• Although the lifetime ban renders him permanently ineligible to coach, Qi Han retains the right to appeal and remains listed as Everest’s co-owner and head coach pending the outcome.
• Interim SafeSport CEO April Holmes said the ruling underscores efforts to improve investigative efficiency and reinforce accountability for misconduct in sports.